Niles Community Unity

It's a large new Buddhist temple / school that's going to be built on a lot right next to Quarry Lakes Park, with access only via Fox Avenue in Union City, just on the north side of the BART overpass. The lot is part of Fremont, and is between the park and the farm area at Alvarado Niles & Osprey, next to the BART tracks. By "large", I mean that the parking lot will apparently have capacity for 200 vehicles. That is a lot of traffic, and a good chunk of that is no doubt going to get there by going north on Niles Blvd.

My friends, who did go to the meeting, said that the temple people said they sent out 90 flyers, to people within a 300' area. Hardly anyone showed up.

Google found me the following link about the construction:

http://www.purplelotus.org/temple/en/plt/construction.html

Martin.
Blaisdell Way

Planning Commission, Thurs 9Jun2005
PURPLE LOTUS TEMPLE - Fox Avenue - (PLN2003-00313) -
to consider a Conditional Use Permit application and Preliminary Grading Plan for a 55,560 square foot Buddhist temple (Purple Lotus Temple) with living quarters for 120 persons (monks and guests) and a maximum capacity of 150 persons in the main hall (water ceremony hall, cafeteria at same time) and a 32,400 square foot institute (Dharma Institute) with a capacity of 250 students (consisting of adults and high school students), including quarters for 50 students, on 5.5 acres located on the south side of Fox Avenue in the Niles Planning Area. A Draft Mitigated Negative declaration was prepared and circulated in conjunction with this project.

Discussion


General

Heartily welcome the Purple Lotus Buddhists
I for one would be happy to see that land put to good use, and heartily welcome the Purple Lotus Buddhists. They own the land and are entitled to do with it what they desire as long as they meet the statutory requirements, which it appears they do. I would not like to become as narrow minded as Mark Twain depicted himself in one of his stories; burning down an orphanage next door because it interrupted his view.
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:36am by Lynn R Slater

Purple Haze
which is what we will have during the construction phase of this place! What are they thinking? after completion, there will be a minimum of 250 residents there, coming and going, to say nothing of the exodus of the attendees of the services!!! Make em big and use gawdy colors, Yea, that's the ticket, oh, and to heck with the wildlife and the view of the hills we have all come to love.
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:38am by Lynn R Slater

We need to rethink this Purple Lotus thing See all 2 replies
Nobody likes open space as much as I do. Really, nobody. That being said, we need to rethink this Purple Lotus thing before we go crazy over it. Remember, every single house in Niles (and everywhere else, for that matter) was built on formerly "wide open space" and probably spoiled someone's view. There were probably choruses of lamentations about each and every one of these developments that have covered Niles over the last 100 years. Unlike some of you, I have not done my homework, and do not know exactly what the purple lotus land is zoned for. Seems like if the city had wanted to annex it and make it part of Quarry Lakes they would have.
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:39am by Lynn R Slater, updated or replied 09/05/05 10:41am

Traffic problems are going to be terrible
It's not that it is a church; it's that it is a HUGE complex, and the traffic problems are going to be terrible. Alvarado-Niles Road is a substitute for Mission Blvd. for many people, and it's difficult enough to get home from work as it is!
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:42am by Lynn R Slater

Flashy architectural monstrosity See all 3 replies
Per the Argus this morning - I am beyond shocked to read about the actual extent of yet another flashy architectural monstrosity in the residential Niles midst - even if our (in my opinion in this case misguided) city planners think it "enhances the neighborhood because it adds interesting architectural structures to a vacant field..." Does it imply that one of the last existing vacant fields is an eyesore? Instead of enjoying what's left of wide open space from Quarry Lakes paths - we will be forced to look at a huge building complex instead....
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:33am by Lynn R Slater, updated or replied 09/05/05 10:45am

This is a MASSIVE complex, traffic, eyesore
They propose a six-foot high wall around some of their property, which will be decorated "with names of the Buddha, both in Chinese and English to encourage visitors and practitioners to read the Holy Name of various Buddha. ACCORDING TO BUDDHIST TRADITION, MERIT IS GAINED BY RECITING BUDDHA'S NAME EVEN IF IT IS READ UNINTENTIONALLY." (emphasis is mine in Caps).
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:52am by Lynn R Slater

Lawsuit threatens funding
Buddhist group fights lawsuit, plaintiff wants back half of $330,000 then-wife gave Purple Lotus Temple
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:55am by Lynn R Slater, updated or replied 09/05/05 10:56am

Dramatic increase in traffic
The size and scope of this proposed project is sure to cause a dramatic increase in traffic for Niles and Alvarado-Niles Blvds. The Thai Buddhist Temple located at Niles Blvd. and Rock Ave. is prime example of excess traffic and parked vehicles. Two or three times a month, when there is a special event at the temple, parked vehicles overflow out to Niles Blvd. and completely fills the 7-11 parking lot across the street and wraps around the corner onto our street, Plumeria Way. That Thai temple is a much smaller one than the Purple Lotus Temple! The city planner that approved and allowed the Thai Buddhist Temple to be built ithout requiring that they provided adequate off-street parking sould be drawn and quartered! My concern is that the same mistake culd occur with the Purple Lotus Temple project.
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Posted – 09/05/05 10:59am by Lynn R Slater, updated or replied 09/05/05 11:00am

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